Shri Krishna (TV series)

Overview

Shri Krishna is an Indian Hindi-language mythological television series created, written and directed by Ramanand Sagar. The serial dramatises the life of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu, drawing primarily from the Bhagavata Purana, the Mahabharata, the Harivamsa, the Vishnu Purana, the Brahmavaivarta Purana and the Padma Purana. Produced by Sagar Arts (Ramanand Sagar's family banner), it is regarded as one of the most ambitious mythological productions of Indian television, following the success of Sagar's earlier Ramayan (1987–1988).

Key facts

Background

After the cultural phenomenon of Ramayan, Ramanand Sagar turned to the Krishna narrative as the next major project for his banner. The series was envisioned on a long-form scale to cover Krishna's life from birth in Mathura through his childhood in Gokul and Vrindavan, his youth in Mathura, his rule at Dwaraka, his role as charioteer and counsellor in the Kurukshetra war, and the eventual end of the Yadu dynasty. The script integrates devotional lore (the raas leela, the lifting of Govardhan, the slaying of Kamsa) with the political and philosophical material of the Mahabharata, including the discourse of the Bhagavad Gita.

Production

The serial was shot largely at Sagar Arts' production facilities in Vrindavan and Mumbai. Music was composed by Ravindra Jain, who had earlier scored Sagar's Ramayan; the title track and bhajans, many sung by Ravindra Jain himself along with playback artistes, became widely popular as devotional music. The visual effects, while modest by later standards, used chroma key, miniatures and optical compositing typical of 1990s Indian television mythologicals.

Cast

• Sarvadaman D. Banerjee as the adult Krishna
• Swapnil Joshi as the adolescent Krishna
• Ashok Kumar Balakrishnan as the child Krishna
• Reshma Modi as Radha
• Deepak Deulkar as Balarama
• Pinky Parikh as Rukmini
• Manish Khanna as Kamsa
• Sameer Rajda as Arjuna

Broadcast history

The serial was first telecast on DD National in the early 1990s, occupying the Sunday morning devotional slot that Ramayan had popularised. It ran for several years with a large episode count, reflecting its comprehensive treatment of the Krishna canon. The series was later dubbed and rebroadcast in multiple Indian languages and on satellite channels.

Re-runs

During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, Doordarshan and other networks re-aired classic mythological serials. Shri Krishna was telecast again on DD Bharati and later on private channels including Star Bharat, drawing significant viewership and reintroducing the show to a new generation. The episodes are also available on streaming platforms.

Significance

Shri Krishna is considered a landmark of Indian televised mythology. Alongside Ramayan and B. R. Chopra's Mahabharat, it helped consolidate a popular visual iconography for Hindu epics on Indian television. The performance of Sarvadaman D. Banerjee as Krishna and Swapnil Joshi as the young Krishna remain widely recognised, and Ravindra Jain's compositions for the serial — particularly the title invocation — continue to be used in devotional contexts. The 2020 re-run also demonstrated the long-term cultural reach of Sagar Arts' mythological catalogue.

Related topics

• Ramanand Sagar
• Ramayan (1987 TV series)
• Mahabharat (1988 TV series)
• Krishna
• Bhagavata Purana
• Bhagavad Gita
• Ravindra Jain
• Swapnil Joshi
• Doordarshan
• Sagar Arts

References

• Doordarshan programme archives, DD National and DD Bharati.
• Sagar Arts production credits for the Shri Krishna television series.
• Press coverage of the 2020 re-telecast of mythological serials on Indian television.